In the middle of the current maelstrom over Manny Ramirez’s posing, preening and sudden desire to sit down at fireside chats with the media is an interesting subplot: Is it possible that all the hubbub and distraction could actually help the Red Sox?
Keep striking poses Manny. It can’t hurt as long as you’re hitting.
We know, it seems very out of place, and the sheer possibility that a player saying it’s not a big deal if his team wins or loses actually helps his team seems ludicrous. We get it. But we’re still not willing to say that it’s all a bad thing.
In fact, we’re ready to say that it’s helping, as strange as that may seem.
Think about it this way: At the moment, Manny is the entire focus of Red Sox speculation. There’s no more talk about Kevin Youkilis’ botched foul pop catch or Tim Wakefield’s horribly unfortunate inability to spear a shot targeted for Dustin Pedroia, eventually costing the Sox outs and runs Tuesday night.
Instead of all the negative reaction to those moments and their striking lack of execution, all the attention is on ManRam, all the time. And if we’ve learned one thing over the years, it’s that no measure of attention can dissuade Manny from being Manny. Hell, Yankee legend Reggie Jackson was on the radio this morning saying that Manny called him last night asking about where to refurbish a classic car. Clearly Manny’s not dwelling on all the attention. The guy is going to hit, no matter what kind of typhoon is swirling around him.
Think about it: After talk two and three days about Josh Beckett’s back, how much hype has focused on that heading towards tonight’s game? That’s what we thought. And how much talk is about Pedroia’s snippy quotes to the media after Game 4? During the season those shots would have started a serious Fenway brushfire. Now? Small potatoes compared to Senor Talkative over at the other locker.
So let him keep talking. And maybe he’ll even get to keep talking while playing baseball for a while longer. At the moment, it can’t hurt. That’s for sure.
Tim Wakefield is on the mound, trying to save the season. Just when you thought the Sox couldn’t ask any more of a 41 year-old knuckleball pitcher, they essentially decide to put their entire season on his fragile, aching back. Nice call Tito Francona.
Still, that’s the hand that Boston has been dealt. Because big-ticket free agent pick-ups of the past, Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka, couldn’t get the job done in Games 2 or 3, the Sox are relying on the bargain basement innings eater to win a game. In case people have forgotten, for all Wakefield’s 2004 heroics (which, once again, focused largely on eating innings), the last time he had to save a season it didn’t work out. Ask the White Sox.
As a result, while Josh Beckett stews in the dugout wishing he were on the mound and getting even more pissed off heading into his start in Game 5, the ol’ flutterball will be on display. Or so we hope. Remember, Wakefield has taken struggling to a whole new level coming down the stretch this year. After starting off at a near 20-win pace and holding it through much of the season, Wakefield’s track got sloppy in the final few times out, leading many to wonder whether he would make the postseason roster at all, let alone in time to start an ALCS game.
Now here he is starting against a lineup that’s chewed up Schilling and Matsuzaka, and he’s pitching against a guy who, regardless of results, will definitely not have a hard time finding the strike zone. While Paul Byrd’s approach could help or hurt the Sox, depending on whether they revert to the patient group that frustrated C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona or if they keep swinging away early as they did last night, it could very well be a stunning contrast to Wakefield, who has to find the zone early if he’s going to be effective at all.
Now it’s time to find the answers to all those questions, starting in the top of the first. Or so Sox fans can hope.
Before checking in on the weather forecast for tonight’s Game 4 in Cleveland …
A report that leaked through to ESPN Deportes claimed that Big Papi was considering sitting out a game of the ALCS to rest his injured knee, a balky, season-long hindrance that may have taken a renewed barking after he tried to stop on a dime to avoid being hit by a Manny Ramirez grounder last night in Cleveland. Instead of sitting out, Ortiz claimed that there was a zero percent chance of him missing any ALCS time. When asked by the Globe’s Amalie Benjamin about the injury, Ortiz said, “Unless I can’t get out of bed, I’ve got to keep on playing.”
As for getting out of bed, there remains a distinct possibility that, like last year’s NLCS between the Cardinals and Mets, tonight’s Game 4 could get bumped back a day because of rain. According to Steve Silva of boston.com, the chance of showers and thunderstorms before 3 p.m. in Cleveland has now turned to a statistical probability for thundershowers, with a 70 percent chance for rain after 3 p.m. and a thunderstorm probable.
That forecast, of course, would pave the way for Josh Beckett to pitch Game 4 tomorrow on regular rest, then return to pitch a potential Game 7 back at the Fens on regular rest again. Will it happen? That’s to be determined by the weather Gods and Terry Francona, the former of which has a reputation for being remarkably fickle, the latter a well-known stalwart.
Still, it seems all but impossible that Francona would pass up a chance to get two more Beckett starts under Boston’s belt on full rest in the series. Sure, this is Terry Francona and he is hopelessly devoted to Tim Wakefield, the scheduled starter for tonight’s tilt. But even with that, you can already see everyone penciling in Beckett for a Game 4 tomorrow if the rain keeps coming.
All there is to do now is wait on the rain to come. Or not.
For all intents and purposes, Boston’s season is on the line tonight.
Terry Francona got to choose between starting the man on the left and the man in the middle. He went left. Surprised? We are.
The Red Sox stand on the precipice of a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS, a chasm so large it would seem all but impossible to breach, particularly considering the fact that only one of Boston’s three vaunted starters actually won their outing against Cleveland.
The Indians are rolling. They got a win from the ultra-iffy Jake Westbrook last night, for God sakes, and they have one of the most consistent elder hurlers in the game on the mound tonight, with Paul Byrd scheduled to fire in plenty of strikes, most of which probably won’t be followed by balls.
The man charged with stemming that tide, with holding back the floodgates from a potential Cleveland run away is Boston’s own elder statesman, a man who once seemed ticketed for the best season of his career after turning 40. Tim Wakefield, knuckleballer extrordinaire will get the ball on the mound tonight for the Red Sox, and with him ride the hopes of saving a legitimate shot for another World Series at Fenway Park.
If you’re a Sox fan and that doesn’t make you incredibly nervous, you should check your pulse. While Wakefield started the season on a bullet train, he finished on a vehicle moving at the speed of a Big Wheel … when it wasn’t stopped by injury. He was never the same after a back injury sidelined him for two weeks, and was thoroughly rocked his last three times out on the hill.
All of which is to say that Boston better have Jon Lester at the ready if Wake devolves come inning 3. Which wouldn’t exactly be a huge surprise.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way. Josh Beckett, who dominated the Tribe in Game 1 while throwing only 85 pitches, could come back and pitch tonight on three days’ rest. If memory serves, that’s exactly what he did when beating the Yankees in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series en route to earning the Florida ring he and Mike Lowell both wear around Boston, earning the Series MVP trophy in the process.
So why, it begs to reason, isn’t Joshie heading back to the bump tonight? That is a very good question. Terry Francona ruled out the possibility repeatedly over the course of the last four days leading up to the faceoff. He said even down 2-1, he wouldn’t hesitate to send Wakefield to the mound.
There’s a pretty good reason for that. Even if Beckett pitched tonight and earned the win, Boston would still have to find a way to get two more wins, conceivably one from Beckett on full rest in a Game 7 and then another from either Curt Schilling or Daisuke Matsuzaka in Game 5 or 6. While that’s eminently possible, pitching Beckett three times over the course of a seven-game series would put a huge strain on him and might affect his performance in a World Series, if they got there.
Of course, as it stands now that seems a tall task. Who knows if Boston will be able to put together a rally and get past a Cleveland team that looks like it’s closer and closer to peaking every day, with a virile crowd pushing it on.
And if there’s not a World Series, what’s the use in saving your ace for one? It doesn’t make much sense to us, but be sure the Colorado Rockies are sitting back and taking notice. After all, they took care of business, so now they’ve got nothing better to do.
Seriously, let’s try not to dwell on it. In fact, after this entry we’re officially going to try and pretend Game 2 of the 2007 ALCS never actually happened. But while we’re stuck thinking about last night’s 11th inning beating, let’s do the rundown of everything we learned, shall we?
1) Eric Gagne is officially a waste of a roster spot at this point. In fact, if he could come up lame with a sore shoulder so we could slip Julian Tavarez or Kyle Snyder back on the playoff pen, that’d be great.
2) Despite a solid single batter spot in the ALDS, Javier Lopez still can’t get out lefties. And he’s a sidewinding lefty. Go figure.
3) Curt Schilling may not be his former dominant postseason self. All he was against the Indians was average, and his inability to get through even five innings - or hold a lead, for that matter - cost Boston dearly, and could eventually cost it the series. We know, we cringe to hear it, too, but it’s the truth.
4) Even with David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell bashing their heads off, the Indians lineup is so balanced it can make up for it. That’s a terrifying thought.
5) All that talk about how maybe we’d be better off with Jon Lester starting Game 4 instead of Tim Wakefield? Yeah, we’re sorry we even mentioned that.
6) Now Daisuke Matsuzaka practically HAS to win on Monday. He has to. Or else Boston is all but screwed.
But we’re not talking about any of this stuff anymore, or about how we rolled over this morning and saw the Wicked Witch of the West. It hurts too much.
So do pictures of the disaster, so enjoy the text heavy post folks. We’ll be back soon in search of something uplifting. We hope.
Hey Manny and Papi? You paying attention? This is the dude Curt needs you to hit. And hit him hard, and early, if possible. Gracias amigos.
After last night’s latest edition of “Josh Beckett is a playoff badass”, the Red Sox have the Indians right where they want them, at home, with a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
But if Cleveland and suddenly sensational ace Fausto Carmona can pull out Game 2 tonight, the dynamic of the rest of the ALCS could swing drastically. The Sox are sending longtime postseason stallwort Curt Schilling to the mound, which should increase their chances of shutting down Cleveland’s balanced lineup for a second straight night.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that if the Big Schill can’t do that, Cleveland will suddenly emerge from Boston with a significant upper hand heading back to Lake Erie. While that doesn’t necessarily herald the entrance of bad things, it would put additional pressure on the back of Daisuke Matsuzaka before Game 3, and probably just as much pressure on the still-recovering Tim Wakefield in Game 4. Dice-K has a couple things going for him heading into his start. He was brilliant last time around in Cleveland, he was solid despite struggling to locate his pitches in Game 2 of the ALDS and his postseason resume - at least on a global level - is still pretty sterling. Despite all of that, it’s virtually inarguable that the absolute last thing he needs is more pressure before his start.
Here’s hoping that Schill and the Gang (seriously, how many band names could we come up with that start with Schilling’s name? The possibilities are endless) are up to the task for a second-straight game tonight. While Boston is still floating on Game 1 euphoria, Game 2 is much more important than some may currently think.
Big Papi and Josh Beckett sent a Hollaback out to the crowd at Fenway last night.
Sure, Josh Beckett wasn’t quite perfect, giving up a wind-aided first inning homer and later allowing a second run to cross. But for every little one-pitch mistake Beckett made, a rejuvenated Red Sox lineup got to C.C. Sabathia, drilling him for seven runs before he left, then connecting for three more off the midsection of the Indians pen.
That can only help confidence for the Red Sox moving forward. Like a one-night stand with Gwen Stefani, for instance.
And as would be appropriate for such a monumental night, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were perfect, literally. Big Papi reached base each time he came up, hit once, walked a pair of times and knocking a couple of hits in between. And that’s before Manny fully started being Manny, connecting for a pair of run producing singles and even earning a bases-loaded walk after falling behind two strikes to none.
As the game wore on and it became clear the Sox were trying to run away with a win, it was hard not to hope they’d bottle some of the offense, or at least keep it going for another day. Boston is sure to need similar magic tonight against the overpowering sinker being used by Fausto Carmona. Perhaps his 2006 struggles at Fenway will come back to mesmerize him and make him at least partially hittable in the process.
Who knows. All that mattered last night was that Beckett was on, the entire Sox lineup was on and the Fens got a taste of blood early. Now, if the Sox can pull another Stefani-like superb performance out of their hat today, Boston can head to the shore of Lake Erie feeling pretty confident about itself, perhaps marching behind the lead of that drum major from the bananas song.
It may not be the Yankees, but the Indians enter tonight’s matchup in Fenway Park is equally anticipated, if that’s possible. The Red Sox start a best-of-seven journey that they hope ends in the World Series.
Josh Beckett hunts deer, elk and a variety of birds in the winter. In October he hunts zeros.
The weather has turned to fall just in time to greet the first pitch, which will be fired out by a guy some Sox fans wanted out of town a year ago, yet now are clamoring to try and find a way to pitch three times in an ALCS. That’s how drastic a turnaround young Josh Beckett, still only 27, has gone through in the past 12 months. From maligned No. 2 starter to ace and possible Cy Young winner, Beckett’s move from mediocre to momentous has been nothing short of a full-fledged awakening.
And now he’s pitching in the exact kind of games that drew the Sox front office to Florida’s door, begging for him after the 2003 season. His Game 1 performance in the ALDS was a complete whitewash of the Angels and set the tone for Boston’s sweep. Now, he’ll try to attack a remarkably balanced Cleveland lineup and mow through batters the way he did a week and a half ago.
Not that Boston can take any sympathy on Cleveland hitters. The Indians have quite the ace of their own, C.C. Sabathia, who might pry the Cy Young from Beckett’s very grasp. While Sabathia was dominant throughout the regular season, he has a rough first playoff start against the Yankees, and was also outdueled by Daisuke Matsuzaka in his last outing against the Sox. Does that mean he’ll have troubles at the Fens tonight? Not necessarily, though the resurgent bats of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz beckon. Or so Sox fans hope.
And that hope, as 2004 showed, is enough to bouy spirits and, eventually, lift a team. We’re getting closer to finding out if it can happen again.
For the second straight playoff round, Red Sox Monster has set up a pretty strong blogger roundtable surveying Boston’s prospects for the round ahead. We were part of the group again hosted by Red Sox Monster and MassLive’s inimitable Dan Lamothe, so we thought we’d share our answers in preview of tonight’s Sox-Indians series starter. For those interested in the full roundtable answers, which also included bloggers from Red Sox Stat Guy, Sox & Dawgs and The Joy of Sox and Texas Gal of Babes Love Baseball. Definitely a good anticipatory read. Here’s the entire piece for your perusal: Red Sox Monster Roundtable
And while we may not have hit the mark as squarely on some questions as our friends in the blogosphere, here’s our distilled question-by-question answers for your perusal. Interested to see what everyone thinks.
1) One of the big things we all have been hearing this week is that the Indians have an advantage because of Fausto Carmona and C.C. Sabathia. Last time I checked, though, the Red Sox beat Sabathia in a nail-biter once already this year and won five out of seven against the Tribe. How does Beckett-Schilling vs. Sabathia-Carmona play out for the two teams?
This, clearly, is the duel duels of the playoffs, if you will. I like Beckett over Sabathia because of both home field advantage and the performance of both pitchers in Game 1 of their respective ALDS’s. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen Beckett more in control than he was in Game 1 against the Angels, and Sabathia looked nervous throughout his team’s win. That being said, it’s possible that moving away from the Jacob’s Field crowd will help C.C. We’ll have to see.
As for Schilling-Carmona, Game 2 scares me significantly more. Carmona already has one win over the Sox, a terrific 1-0 outdueling of Beckett, and while Fenway Park was a house of horrors for him last year there’s no indication it will be in the playoffs. His slider was falling off the table in the ALDS, and outside of Beckett, he may have looked better than every other pitcher in baseball in Round One. Meanwhile, Schilling starting in Fenway again scares me a bit. He’s been more prone to home runs at home, and while Francona is likely to show a much quicker hook in the ALCS than during the regular season, there’s still the possibility of a suddenly big inning out there. So, I’m going to predict a split in Games 1 and 2, though a Schilling gem and 2-0 Sox lead wouldn’t completely shock me, just surprise me.
2) What about Games 3 and 4? How worried should Sox fans be about Matsuzaka-Wakefield/Lester? Also, should Sox fans be licking their chops when they see Jake Westbrook on the mound, or were his regular season stats against Boston (10 hits and five earned runs in six innings) a fluke?
Lost amidst all the talk about moving Schilling into the 2 slot was that it means Dice-K will start Game 3 in Cleveland. And perhaps lost in the analysis of that is just how impressive the Dice man was at Jacob’s Field earlier this year. He pitched a complete game win, out doing C.C. Sabathia, and helping the Sox win the season series. Clearly, that was a huge win in retrospect. Meanwhile, there’s no reason to doubt Westbrook’s stats against the Sox, particularly in the aftermath of another dismal performance in the ALDS, when the Yankees cleaned his clock. On paper, it looks like a very good matchup for the Sox.
Game 4, understandably, is much more troubling. Wakefield has looked absolutely cooked after his most recent back injury, and there’s concern over just how healthy he may be. If Wake isn’t comfortable, his knuckleball won’t move right and he’ll get clobbered. Meanwhile, Byrd is a wily veteran who doesn’t walk batters, gets tough outs and sent the Yankees to the golf course. I’m getting a headache just thinking about this match up, so let’s move to the next question.
3) When analysts talk about Boston’s strengths this year, the deep bullpen always comes up. Cleveland’s wasn’t bad, though, finishing with the sixth best ERA (3.75) in the Majors. How important is getting to the Indians bullpen, and where do potential advantages for the Red Sox lay?
Getting to the bullpen is actually only an advantage against Sabathia and Carmona, because that duo has been so nasty. The two Rafaels have been almost unhittable and seem to be surging in the postseason. And while the numbers aren’t kind to Joe Borowski, Sweaty Joe does keep getting results. Really, how Boston hits off the Indian relievers in Games 1 and 2 really may set a tone for the entire series. Get mowed down and the Tribe kids may get more confidence and roll from there. Knocking in a few late-inning runs early – particularly off the Rafaels - could be all but essential.
4) The Indians had six players hit between 18 and 25 home runs, but no one with more than that. They also had only one starter, Victor Martinez hit more than .300 (he hit .301). How should Boston pitch to the Cleveland lineup?
While there may not be too many stellar OPS guys, Cleveland’s lineup is much, MUCH more balanced than Boston’s. There’s not any easy outs. Martinez has been an absolute terror, Hafner seems to be peaking at just the right time and there’s youth abundant. I’m not sold on Asdrubal Cabrera, ALDS homer aside, and first baseman Ryan Garko is so streaky that the Sox may be able to handle him. Grady Sizemore wasn’t too impressive in Round One, but he scares me and I think could secretly be the key to the series. If he starts getting on to lead off games and innings – particularly against Dice-K and Wake – major problems could follow. It’s not a pretty picture. The other big problem looming? Kenny Lofton, the center fielder who just never goes away. He had his best postseason series in years against the Yanks and seems poised to cause more headaches in Fenway.
5) One Trot Nixon returns to the postseason on Friday, as well. He doesn’t play much anymore… will he have any impact on the series, and what kind?
Trot seems ticketed for one or two key pinch hitting spots, particularly in Fenway. Remember, the every day Indian in right is a rookie (Franklin Gutierrez) so a couple bad at bats in the friendly confines and Eric Wedge may flex his well-documented right to re-consider his lineup. After all, Trot does know how to lace a hot grounder down that first base line, doesn’t he?
6) Tell me something the common fan misses when discussing the series. Any surprises jump out at you when looking at the two teams and their statistics?
There’s an emerging perception that Papelbon is the big x-factor in this series because he’s more reliable than Borowski, but it strikes me that the much bigger factor is the teams’ respective middle relievers. Assuming Tito Francona goes with Okie Dokie in the 8th inning setup role again before Papelbon, that still leaves question marks in the sixth and seventh innings. Assuming Sox starters can get there, Manny Delcarmen seems to be the main go-to-guy for a sixth inning look. That leaves Mike Timlin and Eric Gagne – who gave up a meaningless run in Game 3 against the Angels – to fight out the seventh inning. Will Francona actually trust Gagne in a tight spot late, or will he take his chances with the 40 year-old jack of all trades Timlin? Will Timlin still be sharp after not pitching in a game in two weeks? Lester is clearly the long-man, but would the Sox use him if Dice-K falters? Lots of questions here, to be sure. Meanwhile, the Sox have to prove they can hit the Rafaels and Jensen Lewis. There’s absolutely no guarantee they can, and just ask the Yankees how easy it is. Put it all together and, despite all the attention being placed on Borowski, any late homers off him won’t matter unless Boston can hit the earlier guys.
Another fascinating plot line revolves around the tendency of Sox players who are former Indians to perform ridiculously well at Jacob’s Field. Just look at Coco’s number from the early season series. If Coco, Alex Cora in a pinch, Manny Ramirez, etc. come through, the series could swing on that alone.
7) So, who wins? Why?
I’m going with the Sox in 6 or 7. If you pinned me down I’d say seven, because I can’t imagine Schilling beating Carmona in a Game 6 at Jacob’s Field. Still, I think Boston will be able to pull out a couple of wins behind bashes from Ortiz and Ramirez, who finally looks dialed in for the first time this year. Additionally, I really am looking for big things from Coco Crisp, who was a monster in Cleveland earlier this year. Add strange statistical aberrations like Bobby Kielty’s success against C.C. Sabathia, and I think Boston will claw this one out. But it’ll be close, it’ll require a lot of TUMS and (not or) Pepto Bismol, and it will have Sox fans clamoring for NL opponents, which could end up biting Boston in the World Series (if Colorado wins the NLCS). Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
It’s time to comb through the virtual anthology that was coverage of the Red Sox’ three-game ALDS sweep of the Angels and find the best of the best. Here’s what caught our eye from the five days of pure media attention.
Manny got all of that K-Rod offering, didn’t he?
BOSTON GLOBE
Ace’s stuff fit for kings — Bob Ryan is the king of Boston sports columnists, and he lives up to his billing in writing about the new king of Boston’s rotation.
Manny of the hour — Manny Ramirez’s monumental blast was a sight to behold, and Gordon Edes nailed the lead-up and explosion of the ball off the bat, as he’s wont to do.
Red Sox are soaking in their success — We could have gone with one of a number of Dan Shaughnessy stories, but why do that when you can have Jackie MacMullan? The Celtics-obsessed columnist nails the ethos of what it’s like to be the Red Sox right this moment.
BOSTON HERALD
There’s no middle ground with Escobar — Look, we know that this is supposed to be about the best Red Sox articles, but the Herald nailed a pair of features about the Angels, first with this Michael Siliverman piece about Game 2 starter Kelvim Escobar …
Halos hope to be quick study — Then with this Silverman piece about Mike Scioscia and his approach to helping his team find room to breathe.
The Big Schill looked like he was back in the ALDS.
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL
Foul ball catch a hit with Henry - Leave it to ProJo columnist Joe McDonald to bring up the biggest fan of teenager foul-ball catcher Danny Vinik — Owner John Henry.
Schilling savoring return - Sean McAdam nails a feature on Curt Schilling, right before the Big Schill returned to the Anaheim mound to dominate.
